Bluebell
by MementoLuceat
Summary: "I just...had a really wonderful dream." An alternate take on the Retrace 104 tea party. (PHPM Prompt #1: Quote)


"Oz!"

He blinked. Rough bark pressed against his back, and grass tickled his legs. Funny, he could've sworn he was just standing before. He must've fallen asleep. "Huh?"

"So that's where you were!" Alice leaned over him with a triumphant grin and cheeks flushed with excitement. "We were looking all over for you!"

Gilbert hovered next to her. He looked torn between worry and fondness, then settled for an amused affection. "You could've caught a cold sleeping here."

"Ehhh, you worry too much, Gil!" Oz pushed himself off the ground and brushed the dirt off his clothes. "It's such a nice day, who's going to catch a cold?"

"Yeah, it's really amazing today!" Alice rocked back on her heels. "More importantly! Did you see all the food? All the meat?"

"Duke Barma really went all out on this," Gilbert commented, and then hung his head. "I wanted to help cook too, but they wouldn't let me…"

"All this talk about food is making me even more hungry! C'mon, let's go back there already! Meat won't eat itself!"

Oz glanced back at the party and realized he must've been asleep longer than he thought. Guests had already arrived and were flitting about the tables in a light flutter of chatter. A grin split his face when he caught sight of several familiar faces and he waved towards them. "Uncle Oscar, Ada—oh, and Vincent!"

The latter was wilting slightly under the scrutinizing glare of Uncle Oscar as Ada chatted, completely oblivious to the tension. Vincent let out an audible sigh of relief when Uncle Oscar dropped his glare to grin and wave back at Oz.

"Perfect timing, Oz!" He strode over and began to speak in a theatrical whisper. "Our little Ada's being courted by Vincent! This calls for drastic measures!"

If possible, Vincent wilted even more and Ada pouted. "Uncle!"

"Just joking, just joking!" Uncle Oscar clapped Vincent on the shoulder and beamed. "I can see that you both love each other very much, so you have my blessing!" His face became shadowed again. "Just don't try any funny business…"

"Y-yes, Oscar-sama! Wait, what?"

Gilbert, who had been watching the whole exchange with a bit of concern, gave a small smile with Vincent stuttering in the background. "Well, it's good to see Vince is getting his personal life in order."

"They make a nice couple, don't they?"

Alice frowned as she lowered the drumstick she had been eating. "They didn't kiss…" There was something like a puzzled disappointment in her tone. "Sharon's books say they're supposed to kiss. Why didn't they kiss?"

"Uh…" Oz and Gilbert shared a bewildered glance. What exactly were you supposed to say to that?

"Ohoho, is that looove in the air?"

At the sudden voice behind him, Oz yelped and skittered back a good foot. Break raised his plate—piled with pastel sweets—by way of a greeting, his mouth curved in a lopsided smile. "Hello there!"

"Who's supposed to kiss who now?" Sharon pounced on Alice with a glint in her eyes. "Tell me all about it!"

An exasperated sigh announced the arrival of Reim, but the stiffness had bled out of his frame and his expression was softer. "Oz-sama! It's been a long time."

"Yeah! It's good to see you all again, Break, Sharon-chan, Reim-san!"

Break hummed a short tune as he popped several macarons into his mouth and reached for a cup of tea. "Who would've thought, Ada Vessalius-sama and the Dormouse?" He emptied the sugar bowl into his tea and Reim looked five seconds away from a heart attack. "Quite an interesting pair, I do say!"

Oz snatched a piece of cake away from Break, who had polished off his first plate of food and had already loaded a new one with several slices.

"Break, don't eat all the cake!"

"Boo. I would never."

"Xerxes Break, you are consuming a dangerous amount of sugar—"

"Don't wooorry, Reim-san, I haven't fulfilled my daily quota yet."

"He's right, that amount of sugar isn't healthy at all!" Gilbert plucked the cake out of Break's fingers. "You need to eat more grains, vegetables, fruits—"

"—and meat!" Alice interrupted.

Sharon had drifted over to Lottie, and the two were squealing over a romance novel with several impassioned exclamations of "Just kiss him already!" and "No, Jacqueline, why?" Heavy sobbing accompanied the latter as Fang and Dug looked on, unsure of how to react.

"—and meat," Gilbert agreed.

Oz hid his grin behind his cup as he sipped his tea. Some parts of people never changed at all.

His grin widened when a blur of red and orange tackled Reim to the ground from behind. Lily let out a triumphant whoop as she sat on Reim's back, blue eyes wide and almost vibrating with energy.

"Found you, Reim!"

Reim adjusted his skewed glasses and gave her a tolerant smile. "Yes, you certainly did, Lily."

"Uh-huh!" She hopped off his back and bounced on the balls of her feet. "Can we go play, Reim? Let's go play!"

Break arched a brow. "Stealing Reim-san from us, hm?"

"It's not stealing! Reim's my friend!"

"And he's mine, too, so…" All pretenses of hostility vanished from his face and his smile became mischievous. "I suppose I'll just have to play with you too!"

Lily positively _glowed_. With a cheer, she latched onto their arms and began dragging them off. "Let's play hide-and-seek first! I'm it, so both of you hide fast!"

"Oooh, seeing the clown scramble to hide from a little kid…" Alice rubbed her hands together. "I am so going to watch this!"

Gilbert sent a pleading look to Oz, but he just shrugged. "Why not? Today's a day for fun, right?"

"I suppose…"

"And you!" He planted his hands on his hips. There was no way he was going to let Gilbert sulk around in the shadows like he usually did, not if he had any say in it. "You're being too serious! Lighten up! Cut loose today and have some fun!"

Gilbert fiddled with the hem of his suit. Oz let out a huff and gave him a small push. When he let out a surprised cry, a piece of cake was shoved into his open mouth. "Have some cake! Is it any good?"

He swallowed and coughed. "Well, ye—" The rest of his words were cut off as Oz stuffed another slice into his mouth and pried off a chunk of one for himself.

"Yeah, it is really good! I think this is hazelnut, and… Hm, almond paste?"

"I'm pretty sure it's marzipan."

"Ah, marzipan, then!" He licked the fork clean, and the sweetness sent a tingle through his tongue. "Pretty good! But I bet it'd be better if you made it, Gil."

Gilbert straightened. "Then I'll go ask the chefs for the recipe tomorrow." He started muttering to himself about egg beating and what sort of almonds to use before breaking off. "Hey, Oz, what's that piano for?"

Oz put a finger to his lips and winked. "You'll find out soon," he promised with his best cryptic smile. It belied the butterflies in his stomach that had reemerged at the reminder of what was to come, but at the same time, anticipation thrummed in his chest. And speaking of that, where were Elliot and Leo? He scanned the crowd for their faces, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of pale blue. Was that—? But it had already disappeared among the people milling about. There was only one thing he could do now...

"Echo-chan!"

"Just Echo!" was her shouted response.

"Found her!" Oz pushed through the crowd towards where he had heard her call out.

Echo was hovering by a tree, the rope of her Janta puppet clutched in a death-grip like it was a lifeline. Instead of her usual outfit, she wore a simple blue dress, and her blush deepened when she noticed him. "E-Echo wanted to wear her usual clothes. But Vincent-sama didn't allow her too." In a low mutter, she added, "This is just a plain dress…"

"You're gorgeous as always, Echo-chan!" he blurted out, and then flushed. "W-what I mean is, you're always pretty no matter what clothes you wear!"

The tips of Echo's ears went bright red and she squeezed the doll tighter. "Wh-what are you saying so suddenly, Oz-sama?"

"Well, it's the truth..." Oz took her hand and pulled her towards the tables. "Anyway, what are you doing hanging around the edge? Let's go, before all the food's gone! We need to try every single one of the foreign dishes—I heard Duke Barma got recipes from at least four different countries!"

"Four different countries? Echo has never been to another country." Her gaze moved from a stack of stuffed and steaming rolls to a bowl of a thick red mixture with a hint of curiosity.

"Great! Then how about we start with this one?" Oz shoved a bright green paste into his mouth and immediately spat it out. "Waugh! My mouth! It burns!" He grabbed a cup of tea out from under someone's hand and downed it in one gulp.

"Oz! What are you doing?"

"Sorry, Gil! But it was an emergency, I swear!"

A soft chuckle sounded from behind him and his face went even redder. "W-what was that, anyway?"

Echo muffled another laugh. "Oz-sama just ate a lot of wasabi, a very spicy condiment. Oz-sama was meant to spread a little bit of it on another piece of food. Also, Oz-sama should not be eating condiments alone."

"Oh..." Oz coughed and drained another cup of tea. "Wait a second! You laughed!" The stinging of his tongue forgotten, he grinned. "I love your laugh, Echo-chan!"

She froze and opened her mouth, but closed it without a sound, at a loss for words. Finally she managed to stammer out, "E-Echo is happy to see Oz-sama again, but she must go now!" Her last words were rushed and she turned to leave, but glanced back with a shy smile. "Echo is thankful to Oz-sama for spending time with her. Echo enjoyed it very much."

"Wait—"

But she had already faded into the crowd.

The smile lingered on his face as the melody of her laugh rang in his head. The taste of the wasabi still burned in his mouth, and the heat hadn't left his ears. But the joy on Echo's face was worth the ghastly eye-watering paste.

He looked back; there was still a world of food waiting for him to sample. With that in mind, he picked up a plate and began piling bits of all sorts of different unfamiliar dishes onto it, though he steered clear of anything that even looked like that green devil mush.

As he swallowed a sour stringy meat that might've been crab or chicken or something in between, a plate of sweets caught his eye and his mouth fell open. A dozen cat-shaped cookies were laid out on the platter, with sugar smiles and whiskers.

They. Were. So. Cute!

Oz made a beeline for that table and reached out for the plate the same instant someone else did. Their hands bumped and he looked up into a familiar stunned face.

"E-Elliot!"

"Brat!"

Elliot glanced down at the plate, went red, and jerked his hand away. "T-this isn't what it looks like! I was just...getting them for Leo! Yeah!"

"Oh?" Leo popped up behind him and looked over his shoulder. "Really! You're so sweet, Elliot!" He took a tabby cat cookie and bit its head off. "Delicious! Great craftsmanship too!"

Neither of them missed the ill-concealed wistful look Elliot shot the cookies, and Oz leaned in with a smirk. "Are you sure you don't want any?"

"I'm sure!" Elliot shouted, still red. "It's not like I like cats or anything!"

"I suppose the two of us will just eat all of them, then." Leo popped another one into his mouth, and Oz chose one that looked rather like one of Ada's cats. Elliot twitched.

"Argh—no! Give that to me!" He yanked the plate from them and began eating them at an impressive rate with an expression of intense anger. In any other situation, it might've been intimidating, but the effect was ruined by the iced cat head sticking out of his mouth.

"Anyway!" Oz declared as he stifled his laughter. "It's been a while since we last met, hasn't it?"

"Yeah." Elliot dabbed at his mouth with a napkin, and with such dignity that Oz never would've guessed he had been stuffing his mouth with cat-shaped cakes not seconds earlier.

"Thanks for inviting us!"

His cheeks began to ache as he beamed for what must've been the tenth time today. "You're welcome! I'm so happy to have you here!"

Apparently his happiness was beyond the threshold that Elliot could tolerate, because he looked vaguely repulsed and leaned away. Leo, on the other hand, was unfazed. "No need to get so excited, Oz-kun. Soon we'll be fellow students at Lutwidge, and you'll have to see us everyday whether you like it or not!"

"Yep! I can't wait!"

Elliot shuddered. "I certainly can."

"Don't mind Elliot," Leo said in a whisper deliberately loud enough for Elliot to hear. "He actually likes you, he just doesn't want to admit it."

"Sh-shut up, Leo!" Elliot coughed into his fist, his face scarlet. "A-anyway, about the thing..."

"Oh, right! Over here!" As they passed a table, Oz grabbed a plate of caramel pudding and scooped a block out. It melted as it slid across his tongue. With the spoon in his mouth, he offered another plate to the other two.

"That's perfect! We'll inspect it first." Leo took it and held out a spoonful to Elliot. "Say 'aaah'!"

"Eh—?"

"Close enough." He crammed it into Elliot's mouth, who sputtered and choked it down as Leo flounced over to the piano. Elliot tossed a napkin at him.

" _Have you no shame?_ Wipe your mouth!"

Their voices trailed off and were soon lost in the buzz of conversation. Oz set down the now-empty plate as his smile softened. Years ago, he never would've thought he would meet so many wonderful people. And yet, here he was.

"Hey, Oz!"

"Uncle Oscar!"

A figure moved next to him, and Oz's eyes widened.

"F-Father!" he called out, and he suddenly felt self-conscious. Were his clothes straight? Was there anything on his face?

"Some important business was suddenly cancelled, so I invited him to join us!"

"Liar," his father growled, and a vein throbbed on his forehead. "Weren't you the one who kept pestering me day and night? Even at work? You even showed up in my bedroom before I finally gave in and agreed to come?"

"Pardon?" Uncle Oscar said as he tried—and failed—to sound innocent. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Damn you, Oscar!"

"T-thank you!" Oz burst out. When his father turned to face him, he fidgeted with his fingers. "For finding the time to come even when you're so busy, I mean! I...I'm happy. A-and, if it isn't asking too much, please stay a bit longer! I planned something for today and I want you to be here for it! So, if it won't trouble you too much..."

His father scrutinized him for a moment before letting out a small sigh. "Of course I'll stay. It would be improper if I left before the party ended. I expect this 'something' will be carried out with no less excellence than as expected from the future head of the Vessalius house, Oz."

"Of course, Father! I won't disappoint you!"

"All right!" Uncle Oscar grabbed Xai by the coat and pulled him towards the tables. "Let's do it then!"

A clatter of china. Tea lapped against the rims.

"To this wonderful day we get to share together!"

Seventeen teacups rose into the air as one, against the backdrop of a placid blue sky.

"A merry unbirthday!"

When Oz's lips touched his tea, there was a warm sweetness that he knew didn't come from the blend. Around him, everyone lowered their cups and drank as a peaceful lull settled over them.

The last of his tea drained away and revealed the white porcelain. He set his cup back onto its saucer with a muted clink. Across the table, Elliot and Leo met his eyes and they nodded.

Elliot cleared his throat and rapped the table with his cup. All eyes turned to him. "Leo, Oz, and I have composed a song to celebrate today."

"The three of us have named this song in gratitude for being able to meet so many wonderful people," Leo continued.

Oz's pulse quickened and his palms became sweaty, but at the same time, a thrilled grin grew on his face. It was his part now. He sucked in a deep breath of the crisp air. "We'd like to present 'Bluebell', dedicated to all of you!"

The score engraved in his memory, he picked up the violin and rested it on his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elliot and Leo sit down on the piano bench. Their hands already hovered over the keys. As he stared down at his instrument, everything else became an indistinct blur. He had rehearsed for this moment, but it still didn't feel real.

The first chord rose from the piano, then the next. There was his cue. He pulled the bow across the strings with shaky fingers. The soft murmur of the piano resounded against the violin's low hum. The melody was taking shape, note by note.

His heart pounded against his chest, and his bow slipped. The violin made a terrible off-key groan. For a moment, he felt as though someone had yanked the ground out from under his feet. But Elliot and Leo moved on without hesitation. That was right: Oz couldn't let one little mistake ruin the fruit of all those sleepless nights and arm-breaking hours of rehearsal. All he could do was keep on playing, even if the only sound in the silence was their own quiet music.

The lulling tune soon became brisk and spirited, and rolled through the air. Four hands skipped over white keys and struck out confident tones, and the bow frisked across the strings in an animated dance.

One clap, synchronized with the beat. Then another, and another, and soon the clapping became the pulsing heart of the audience. Vincent took Ada's hand and twirled her around before sneaking a quick kiss to it. With a merry laugh, Sharon grabbed Break and Reim, and spun them around in an improvised waltz. Oz risked a glance up and spotted Uncle Oscar beaming hard enough to make his cheeks fall off. Echo stood by a tree, eyes half-lidded and a tranquil smile on her face. And there were Gilbert and Alice. Their eyes met; Alice began waving furiously and Gilbert gave him a proud smile.

Warmth spread through Oz's numb fingers. The light-headedness he had felt from the start of the song melted into a floating bliss. He laughed as he let the music sweep him away in a whirlwind of joy.

All the things that the three of them had argued so much over in the weeks leading up to today now seemed almost funny. Leo had stormed off in a huff after throwing two chairs and a table at Elliot when he spilled tea on the music sheets. Once Oz had mispronounced "demisemihemidemisemiquaver" and the entire meeting had devolved into an angry tongue-twister contest. But everything had all worked out in the end. Even his slip-up earlier hadn't been as bad as he'd first thought.

And at that moment, he felt that the sprightly melody against the clear ringing of laughter and clapping was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard.

The sounds wove together into a stream that flowed around their feet, and after what could've been a second or an hour, the final chord rang out and trickled away. A wave of applause flooded through the crowd. Breathless, he dropped his sore arms to his sides and bowed. Elliot and Leo followed, exhausted but exhilarated grins on their faces.

Flowers fluttered down around them in a shower of vibrant petals. Leo caught a red rose and held it out to Elliot with a cheery smile. "For you!"

"W-what are you doing? Stupid!" He snatched the rose away and jammed it into Leo's hair. "It's better on you 'cos it suits your eyes."

"You know, a red rose means—"

The corners of Oz's mouth twitched up as Elliot and Leo continued their banter. He gazed over the sea of familiar faces, and his heart skipped a beat. Standing at the edge of the party, his posture as stiff as ever, was his father.

But he was...smiling.

Oz looked up as the sun warmed his skin. The sky was really beautiful today.

"Hey, brat!" Elliot marched over and thrust his fist out. "You weren't half-bad with that violin."

They bumped their fists together and Oz let his expression ease into a casual grin. "Oh, please! You saw me practice, didn't you?"

Leo muffled a chuckle, and Oz and Elliot paused in their lighthearted squabbling to turn to him. "I wonder what people will think when they see a Nightray and a Vessalius getting along so well. And this would be the first piece of music ever written by a Nightray and a Vessalius too."

"And a Baskerville," Elliot added as he took Leo's hand.

"And a Baskerville."

"Let's do this again sometime," Oz suggested hopefully.

Elliot stared at him for several seconds before his frown curved into a slight smile. "Yeah. Let's."

Oz glanced back at the rest of the party and noticed Uncle Oscar waving at him. A simple camera stood next to his uncle, plain in design, but its true worth lay elsewhere. A smile spread across his face.

"Just like the last tea party, right?"

"It's your show now, Oz."

His fingers were already moving, sliding parts into place, setting the plates in, adjusting the angle. A quiet thrill filled him; this was where they would store the memory of this day in, forever preserved, even long after they were gone.

"Ready, everyone?"

He clicked the timer on and hurried to everyone else. Gilbert linked his left arm through his, and Alice her right arm. Their warmth flooded through him, and he faced the camera and smiled.

A flash. Clouds drifting across a blue sky, locks of hair lifted by a gentle wind, smiles illuminating faces. A tiny idyllic moment frozen in time.

Oz could still feel the soreness in his arms, taste the tea on his lips, and smell the fresh spring air. Tears dripped down his cheeks, but he felt so content.

"I just…had a really wonderful dream."


End file.
